Puppy socialization

Providing appropriate socialization is a critical part of raising your puppy to be a well-adjusted adult dog, one who welcomes guests into the home, walks calmly and confidently in public, and can travel with the family. It is the process of introducing your puppy to the wider world, to help prevent fear and aggression later in life. It is also the process of teaching your puppy how to behave out there, to help prevent lunging and barking and over-excitement around other dogs, skateboards, scooters, etc.

The critical socialization period begins at 3 weeks old and ends between 12 and 16 weeks old. That means that the process of safe, controlled socialization should already be started by the breeder or rescue you get your puppy from.

Wait, shouldn’t I wait to take my puppy out of the house until they have all their vaccinations done? What if my puppy gets sick?

In a word: no! A puppy who is sequestered indoors is significantly more likely to have problems with fear and aggression later in life. Here are several resources on why socialization is so important.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior's Position Statement on Puppy Socialization (PDF):

“The Primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing over- stimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.

Because the first three months are the period when sociability outweighs fear, this is the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals, and experiences. Incomplete or improper socialization during this important time can increase the risk of behavioral problems later in life including fear, avoidance, and/or aggression. Behavioral problems are the greatest threat to the owner-dog bond. In fact, behavioral problems are the number one cause of relinquishment to shelters. Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.”

Puppy Vaccination and Early Socialization Should Go Together (PDF)

“Experience and epidemiologic data support the relative safety and lack of transmission of disease in these puppy socialization classes over the past 10 years in many parts of the United States. In fact; the risk of a dog dying because of infection with distemper or parvo virus disease is far less than the much higher risk of a dog dying (euthanasia) because of a behavior problem. Many veterinarians are now offering new puppy owners, puppy socialization classes in their hospitals or nearby training facilities with assistance of trainers and behaviorists. This emphasizes the importance of early socialization and training as important parts of a wellness plan for every puppy. We need to recognize that this special sensitive period for learning is the best opportunity we have to influence behavior for dogs and the most important and longest lasting part of a total wellness plan.”

2013 Study: Frequency of Parvovirus in Vaccinated Puppies that Attended Puppy Socialization Classes

“Socialization is one method of preventing behavior problems in dogs; however, some oppose socialization before 16 wk of age due to the risk of contracting infectious diseases. The objectives of this study were to determine if puppies that attended puppy socialization classes and were vaccinated by a veterinarian at least once were at an increased risk of confirmed canine parvovirus (CPV) infection compared with puppies that did not attend classes... Results indicated that vaccinated puppies attending socialization classes were at no greater risk of CPV infection than vaccinated puppies that did not attend those classes.”

Why you should take your urban puppy to socials after just one set of shots

“While not a perfect analogy, a puppy’s openness to learning socials skills is similar to the way young children learn new languages effortlessly. Studies have shown that children younger than seven years old easily pick up new languages because their brains are wired to readily incorporate the words, grammar and structure of multiple languages. Like the puppy socialization period that ends at 12 weeks, this window closes for children around seven years old, after which language acquisition becomes far more difficult. You can place a 6-year old child in a Mandarin immersion class for a year and she will come out fluent in the language but if I were to attend the same class, I would likely still be struggling with the basics.”

Early Puppy Socialization Classes: Weighing the risks vs. benefits

“Given the fact that behavior problems are the No. 1 cause of relinquishment to shelters, along with the fact that 56% of dogs that enter shelters in the United States are euthanized, and that puppy classes help prevent behavior problems and increase the likelihood of retention in the home, there must be evidence of phenomenal risk of infectious disease transmission associated with early socialization classes to warrant holding puppies back. And there is no such evidence to date. In fact, renowned behaviorist Dr. R. K. Anderson, a longtime advocate for early socialization, has more than a decade of experience and data supporting the relative safety and lack of disease transmission in puppy socialization classes in many parts of the United States.

It's unfortunate that the behavioral gains from puppy class are under such tight age constraints. The most sound advice we [veterinarians] can give clients is to acknowledge the small risk of infectious disease transmission and recommend well-run puppy socialization classes on the grounds that the relative risk is so low. Puppies, owners, and society stand to benefit enormously at the cost of a relatively small risk of exposure to a treatable infection.”

Puppy Vaccinations: Why Puppies Need a Series of Shots

“Our current vaccines are excellent at stimulating immunity in older puppies in just one or two shots. However, puppies who nursed on their mother’s milk have maternal antibodies in their blood that block the immune system from responding to these vaccines. These circulating maternal antibodies protect them from bacterial and viral assault while the puppy’s immune system is maturing. But they also prevent the puppy’s immune system from becoming activated by vaccines.”

Okay, I’m sold. Now how do I do it?

I recommend starting with these articles written by other trainers:

Puppy Socialization… What Actually Is It??

“The definition I like for puppy socialization is “the process of teaching a puppy to live and behave in the situations it will encounter throughout its life.”... All in all, socialization is a very personal process. You are not just shaping your dog to live in the human world, you are shaping him to live in YOUR world. It’s important to me that my dogs are confident and comfortable in sport situations as I do have many competition goals for them, but I live with them too so it’s equally (or more, sometimes) important that they can settle in the house, be polite on a hiking trail, and work as demo or decoy dogs for my clients. What are your goals for your dog, and what type of dog do you want to build?”

Socialization is More Than Mere Exposure - AVSAB

“You should set up social experiences in graded steps that reflect your puppy’s personality and behavior. If you notice that your puppy seems timid or fearful in new situations, you should move more slowly and deliberately in terms of the intensity of exposure than you would if your puppy is always jolly and exuberant. Pay attention to your puppy’s approach versus retreat behavior and other body language indicators.”

Overzealous Greetings (and Other Tales of Toddlers and Puppies)

“responsible dog owners can teach their charges to be polite around other dogs. Socializing your dog appropriately helps him grow into a model citizen of canine society.

So, how do I guide my foster dogs through appropriate interactions? First of all, I focus on teaching them to greet other dogs calmly. If puppies squeal and lunge in excitement every time they see a new dog, they grow into adult dogs who rush up to other dogs or react explosively on leash at the sight of each new dog. This isn’t a healthy social reaction, and preventing this behavior from developing is much easier and faster than fixing it once it’s become a habit.”

Keeping, Raising and Showing Littermates

“One should only keep multiple puppies if they truly have the time to give each puppy what they need in terms of training, medical care, socialization, grooming, etc. If you can’t or if you aren’t sure if you can, you should probably not take on more than one. If you do decide to keep multiple puppies, here are some things to consider and tips that may help you bring them up successfully.”

I also like this PDF from Operation Socialization and this graphic by Sara Reusche and Lili Chin.

Need a cheat sheet? Here are the bullet points.

• Invite people over to your house to play with the pup. Make sure that they wash their hands and haven’t just been petting unknown dogs.

• Take your puppy over to visit other people’s houses. Make sure to bring supplies to clean up potty accidents, just in case.

• Take your puppy out and about in a sling, pack, stroller, or just carrying them to keep them up off the ground. Walk around the neighborhood, shopping areas, and into pet-friendly stores.

  • Most home improvement stores (eg Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace) welcome dogs. JoAnn is officially pet-friendly in all their locations. Many other stores will allow you to carry in small puppies if you ask.

• Bring your pup on errands in the car. While one person takes care of business, the other can sit with the pup and look out the window, or have the puppy in your lap with the car door open. (See information about puppy carsickness here.)

• Hang out at the park or beach with your pup on a large blanket, using a leash or pen to keep them close by.

• If you want your puppy to be comfortable with particular activities when they’re grown up, starting introducing those things now. For example, start teaching your puppy to swim, or introduce him to livestock, or get started on grooming training.

• Arrange play dates with other friendly, healthy, vaccinated dogs who haven’t recently been to the dog park.

• Attend puppy classes - see below for how to pick a good puppy class.

• Make sure that anyone interacting with your puppy - especially kids - pets gently, plays appropriately, and allows the puppy to move away if they want to. (See resources for kids and dogs here.)

• Make sure that your puppy is having a good time. Things to look for:

  • Wagging tail

  • Happy to explore and sniff around

  • Willingness to play and eat treats

  • Able to respond to trained cues

• If your puppy gets overwhelmed (hiding, tucked tail, sitting very still and not engaging), let him retreat to safety and reassure him. Give him time to recover and be ready to explore again.

• If your puppy is regressing in their socialization, or showing sudden fear toward specific things, they may be in a fear period. Follow the suggestions in this article or consult with a professional trainer who uses positive methods to help you provide desensitization and counter-conditioning.

How to pick a puppy class

Not all training classes are created equal. You want to make sure that:

• The facility is cleaned with appropriate products (such as KennelSol) to reduce possible transmission of pathogens.

• Puppies are required to be up to date on vaccinations per their veterinarian’s advice, and proof is provided to the trainer.

• Only positive training methods are used. (E.g., no collar corrections on choke chains or prong collars, no swatting puppies for mouthing, no grabbing by the scruff or pinning down to punish. Instead, puppies are guided to choose desirable behaviors and rewarded with treats, play, and petting, while undesirable behaviors are prevented or redirected.)

• Puppies that are over-excited - barking, pouncing, pulling on leash - are given help to calm down via decreasing visibility, moving them farther away, providing chews or enrichment items, and/or rewarding appropriate behaviors.

• Playtime is not a “free for all” between all of the puppies. Not all pups can play together nicely - different sizes and levels of energy and confidence can easily lead to bullying if not carefully monitored. Pens and leashes are used to help shier and smaller puppies have a good socialization experience.

• Breaks are given during playtime to help moderate arousal levels and help puppies learn to listen around distractions.

• All of the puppy owners are helping teach manners by giving attention to puppies with “four on the floor,” not allowing them to snatch treats, and breaking up play as needed to redirect inappropriate behavior or provide breaks.

Teaching a dog to swim

Many of my clients have pools and would like to teach their dogs to swim, for both safety and exercise. Not all dogs are natural swimmers, though, and some are downright terrified of being submerged. Let’s break this down into smaller steps, to help our dogs gain confidence and make positive associations with first playing, and then swimming, in water.

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• Start with a baby pool, like the classic blue plastic ones, or an appropriately-sized dog pool.

  • Make sure your dog is comfortable getting in and out of it while it’s dry - for tiny dogs, you can create steps or ramps (see photo), or cut the side down for them (credit to Emily Larlham/KikoPup for the idea, shown here).

  • Your dog may need a non-slip surface placed into the pool to feel more confident. You can use nonslip bathtub mats, rubber drainage mats, or a small rug.

  • Do training sessions in which you encourage your dog to get in and out of the pool, using toys and treats to make it fun. Over time, slowly increase the amount of water in the pool.

  • Make sure to play on hotter days, so the water feels cool and comfortable for your dog.

• Here’s a brilliant game that one of my clients came up with: setting bowls with treats on the surface of the water. They’ll gently float around as your dog gets into and moves through the water, challenging him to wade around more.

• Another game that may help is playing “keep away” with a stream of water from a hose (credit to Emily Larlham/KikoPup for the idea, shown here).

• When you are transitioning from the baby pool to your full-sized one, make sure that your pool steps are appropriately sized. For smaller dogs, you may need to create more steps by submerging bricks or pavers. Alternatively, you can purchase or create a pool ramp. The shallower the entry point, the easier it will be for your dog to feel comfortable venturing farther in.

  • If you can locate a dog-friendly beach, stream, or lake with a shallow entry point, that will also give your dog a valuable opportunity to play and practice being in water.

• Get into the water with your dog and encourage him to join you. Use his favorite toys and treats along with lots of happy talk.

  • Always let the dog choose whether he wants to get in, and when he wants to leave. Never toss a dog in or prevent him from exiting the water.

  • As he gains confidence, just encourage him to go farther and farther in, and incorporate as much play as your dog wants.

• Consider getting a life jacket, especially for stocky/heavy breeds, dogs with short legs, and those with short muzzles (brachycephalic). Dogs who can’t seem to balance properly, and end up flailing with their front legs while their back legs sink, also benefit from life vests.

• If your dog is social, meet up with others who have water-loving dogs, to model the behavior you want.

A few other safety considerations:

• Consider fencing your pool until your dog is able to swim well enough that he can exit the pool from every spot. (Consider keeping that fencing up even after, just in case, especially if you have children.)

• Always have fresh water available near the pool, so that your dog has the option to drink that instead of chemical-laden pool water (or bacteria-laden stream/lake water).

• Beware of water intoxication, when a dog has ingested dangerous levels of water. (This is more likely to happen when a dog is grabbing toys in water or catching water from a hose than from calm swimming with their mouth closed.)

• Beware of toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) in natural bodies of water.

• Watch out for sunburn, especially for dogs with short, sparse fur and light-colored skin pigment.

Dog Parks

Dog parks sound like a great idea - a place for dogs to play and hang out, off leash, with their kin. For many dogs, they can be a great outlet for their energy and a place to make friends. Some dogs even start out shy, but blossom over time.

However things don’t always go smoothly. Sometimes what starts out as play - such as taking a fast lap around with one play partner - can turn scary if multiple dogs join in and end up chasing or piling onto a single dog. Sometimes a dog who is playful but doesn’t know when to back off will bully another dog into hiding under a table or chair and not let it escape. Fights can break out if someone gets bitten too hard or is guarding their owner or toy. Play that is too high in intensity can “tip” into aggression (when dogs get too worked up, one party is no longer having fun, and suddenly teeth are flashing). These things can lead to a dog becoming less comfortable with other dogs, and therefore overly defensive or even aggressive. In worst case scenarios, dogs end up needing stitches or even dying. (A quick Google search for “dog park” plus words like “horror,” “trauma,” “tragedy,” “death,” etc will bring up plenty of examples.) (By the way, I’ve also heard anecdotes in which the dogs were fine, but it’s the other owners who are aggressive!)

So how can you protect your dog and help him practice good social skills at the dog park?

First, know your own dog, especially rescues

Taking a brand-new rescue dog into a dog park and letting it off leash can be a dangerous proposition. You should first have an idea of your dog’s social skills and interest level in socializing.

• Ask for as much history of your dog’s previous social experiences as you can get. Was the dog fostered or kenneled with other dogs? Did the shelter or rescue group do any socializing?

• Take your dog for several walks and watch how he reacts to the sight of other walkers. If everyone looks calm and interested, you can ask the other owners if it’s okay to do a quick meet and greet.

• Ask neighbors, friends, and family with calm, well-behaved dogs if they can meet. (Article on introducing dogs safely is in the queue.)

• Some trainers (including myself) can provide an assessment by doing careful introductions to pre-selected dogs.

• Many daycares and boarding businesses will do a free assessment of your dog’s social skills as a requirement for services.

If you’ve raised your dog since puppyhood or you’ve already taken the above steps for your rescue dog, then next consider the following:

• Does your dog actually want to hang out with other dogs, beyond the initial butt sniffing?

• Is your dog intimidated by larger dogs, or overly pushy with smaller or younger ones?

• Is your dog easily riled up if there’s a lot of activity?

• Does your dog get very upset if he’s humped, sniffed intently, someone barks in his face, or nips his legs or flanks?

• Would you be able to keep your dog away from another that’s looking scared or unfriendly?

• What type of play does your dog like - running, jumping up and climbing all over other dogs, biting faces/necks, hip checks, rolling over and playing “submissive”?

Going into the park

• Watch the other dogs before you go in. The answers to these questions will guide you in deciding whether you should actually take your dog inside. Sometimes, you may see things that concern you or you know your dog won’t respond well to. If that’s the case, turn around and take your dog for a leash walk instead, or drive to a different park.

  • How many other dogs are there? More dogs = more likely to have ganging up.

  • What’s the energy level of the group? Are they riled up? Are they all looking bored and likely to jump up and come mob your dog? Or is there already polite mingling happening, that your dog could easily slip into?

  • What type of play is happening (if any), and is it a type that your dog enjoys, tolerates, or takes offense to?

  • Is there one dog that’s circling the other players, then jumping in to take potshots?

  • Is there a dog who is acting unfriendly or very scared?

  • Is there a dog who is obsessively humping others?

  • Are there toys out that your dog is going to guard aggressively?

• Big vs small dogs

  • Some parks have separate areas for big vs small dogs, which is generally safer. Be careful bringing your small dog into a mixed size park - it’s much easier for them to get bullied, knocked over, or even treated as prey.

  • If you have a big dog, be respectful of the small dog area - those little guys might be genuinely scared of yours.

  • Extreme caution should be taken if you have a dog with predatory drive. As a personal anecdote, I once had my Irish Wolfhound (a large sighthound, who are bred to chase and catch prey) stretching her legs at a dog park during travel, and someone started to approach with a smaller dog who was squealing in a high pitch on their way in. My hound perked her ears and tensed, and I immediately put her on leash and turned to leave the park. She has never shown any predatory behavior toward other dogs, even toy-sized breeds, but why take the chances when the consequences could be dire? (Fortunately once the other dog was let off leash and stopped squealing, plus Terra had walked past and saw that it was actually a dog and not a prey animal, she relaxed again. Good girl.)

• Walk around the park perimeter first

  • This is especially useful if your dog is nervous about greetings, and to avoid mobbing at the gate.

  • Let the dogs sniff through the fence. Just redirect to a calmer behavior if your dog starts to get over-excited and is barking or jumping on the fence. Encourage him to move along.

• At the gate

  • As above, let the dogs get some initial sniffs done at the gate before you open, to reduce mobbing.

• Once inside the park

  • Walk around instead of sitting in one spot. This keeps the dogs moving, which helps reduce the intensity of play (and therefore incidents of play “tipping” into aggression). It also encourages the dogs to pay more attention to their owners.

  • Practice calling your dog to you, leashing him up, throwing him a party, then letting him loose to play again. By making this a regular part of the dog park routine, your dog won’t play “keep away” when it’s time to really leave.

  • Monitor your dog’s body language and play behavior - see more info below.

Treats or no?

Some people frown on taking any treats into the park. It’s true that you might get unwanted attention from dogs that are very “foody,” and some dogs will guard food intensely. On the other hand, it’s an extremely useful tool for training your dog to respond to “come” and other cues around distractions - especially if you bring high value treats that your dog loves. Here’s how to decrease the likelihood of any problems:

• Make sure your treats are in a secure pouch or bag, with no chances of spilling out if a dog tries to stick their nose inside or jumps on you.

• When you are feeding your dog, do it away from everyone else. That may mean that you praise your dog for something good (like coming to you), then lead them away for several steps before slipping them a treat.

• Be careful not to drop your food on the ground. If you have butterfingers or your dog gets “sharky” when excited, try using a Bark Pouch or other food in a tube.

• If the other dogs are taking notice of your food, hold the pouch up high and out of their reach, such as under your armpit, or by your neck. (I don’t recommend holding it up and out in the air, as many dogs see this as an invitation to jump, as if for a toy.)

• Keep moving around the park, which will make other dogs lose interested in you more quickly, as well as decrease congregating - which makes guarding more likely.

• Don’t feed anyone else’s dog without permission. Besides encouraging begging behavior, this may be dangerous if that dog has severe allergies or digestive issues.

Monitoring dog play

Here are the basics you should know to keep everyone safe and happy.

• Dogs should be taking breaks, even if they are just brief pauses - such as the more assertive dog pausing for a second, and seeing his play partner happily re-engage by jumping back in. Play without any breaks is prone to escalating in intensity, which can lead to a dog biting too hard, feeling overwhelmed and defensive, or “tipping” into aggression.

  • If they’re not taking breaks, call your dog to you. You may have to ask the other owner to also call their own dog, to make it easier to interrupt play.

  • Walking around the park will also help lower intensity, as your dog takes pauses to check in on your location (hopefully!).

• Watch out for dogs getting cornered or trying to hide under tables/chairs and not being able to come out. This often happens when a dog wants a break, but their playmate(s) are not backing off. It’s also more likely when you have more than 2 dogs playing with each other.

• Many dogs like a good game of chase, but this game is likely to result in cornering, mobbing, or escalating intensity, so be ready to interrupt and give breaks as needed. It’s a good sign if you see the dogs take a break, and then the one who was being chased reinitiates the game themselves.

• Wrestling and pinning is a popular dog game but again, you want to monitor and be ready to give breaks. Look for the dog on the bottom to be intentionally rolling onto their side/back and inviting the play, rather than being slammed down. If the dog on top is not letting them up, biting without letting go, or pinning again as soon as the other dog tries to get up, then institute a break.

• Mismatches in play style will happen. Sometimes they are clearly based in genetics (for example, many herding and sighthound breeds like to play chase, while retrievers like to wrestle, and bully breeds tend to body slam). Other times, it’s due to individual quirks and preferences, or a positive or negative history with that play style. If it’s causing repeated conflict, the mismatched dogs should be kept apart, even leaving the dog park if necessary.

• Watch out for over-arousal during play, as this is often a precursor to “tipping,” as well as other unwanted behaviors. Signs of over-arousal include:

  • Play without breaks

  • Changes in pitch of vocalizations (either getting higher or lower than usual)

  • More frenzied movement

  • Not responding to cues as well as usual

  • Not stopping when the other dog wants a break

  • Humping - humping is a commonly misunderstood behavior. The most common cause for it in dog parks is that a dog wants to interact with another, is worked up, and has a dearth of prosocial skills - leading to things like incessant barking in the other dog’s face, jumping on top of them even when told off, or humping.

Breaking up a dog fight

It’s scary, but it’s bound to happen that sometimes dogs get pissed off at each other. The first thing to do is take a breath and assess: is this just a noisy scuffle with a lot of posturing and teeth bared, but the dogs aren’t really trying to hurt each other? This is much, much more common than a real fight in which the dogs are trying to take each other down. And if it’s just a noisy scuffle - an argument - then you don’t need to step in. It will be over within a few seconds. Help the dogs move away from each other and calm down as needed.

If your dog is repeatedly getting into scuffles, you should bring in a professional trainer to assess what is happening and whether he should be going to dog parks. (See below for alternatives.) Or if he’s getting into repeated scuffles with one specific dog, they should be kept separate from each other.

If your dog gets into a “real” fight, and injures another dog, you should carefully separate the dogs, exchange contact info with the other owner, then leave the park. Contact a professional trainer to discuss what happened and appropriate future socialization for your dog.

Here’s how to step in when needed:

• Keep your hands away from the bitey parts. I know this sounds obvious, but often the first instinct we have is to reach for dogs’ collars to gain control over them. This is a good way to get bitten on the hand. (Ask me how I know!)

• Try to interrupt the fight by placing a physical object between the dogs, if available.

• A blast from a hose will interrupt most fights.

• Otherwise, grab the dog from behind, by putting your hands where the rear legs meet the abdomen and pulling back and up.

• Beware of redirected bites - when a dog feels someone grab them and reacts without pausing to consider who/what that was. If you keep moving the dog backwards with their butt in the air - like a wheelbarrow - they cannot plant their front feet down and whip around to bite. Don’t let go until both dogs have been secured and seem aware of their surroundings rather than just reacting.

Alternatives to dog parks

What if you read the above information and realize that your dog is not a “dog park dog?” That’s okay! It’s normal for dogs to be selective about who they want to hang out with, rather than wanting to go into the mosh pit - especially as they mature out of puppyhood and adolescence. This is common among many species, including humans - as kids, we’ll often play with any other kids around, but later we become more choosy about who we want to spend time with.

Here are other options to explore:

• Smaller gatherings at unofficial off leash areas, especially if there’s a consistent group showing up rather than “strangers” every time.

• Going to the regular dog park during off peak hours, when there are only a few other dogs, at most, with plenty of space for each dog to do their own thing.

• One on one play dates with pre-selected dogs. These may be dogs that your dog liked when he did go to the dog park, or compatible dogs belonging to friends, family, or neighbors.

• Not socializing with other dogs, but giving your dog plenty of other forms of enrichment, exercise, and social time with humans. This can still be a fulfilling life.

Dealing with loose dogs

You’re out on a leashed walk with your dog, and out of nowhere, there’s an off leash dog running up to you. Maybe he’s all alone, or maybe there’s an owner in the distance calling out “he’s friendly!” What do you do?

If your own dog is highly social

The majority of the time, these encounters might be annoying but don’t cause any harm. Do your best to keep your leash loose as the dogs sniff and circle around each other, to reduce frustration and escalating arousal. Talk calmly but happily to the dogs, and remember to breathe! The calmer you are, the better your dog will do.

Once greetings are done, encourage your dog to get going again. If he’s reluctant, try jogging ahead, giving exciting/happy talk, or luring away with food. If he still doesn’t want to leave his new buddy behind, you may have to take him by the collar or harness and calmly but insistently lead him away. Reward your dog once he’s willingly walking with you, away from the other dog.

If either dog is not friendly

But what if your dog is anxious or fearful around other dogs, or even potentially aggressive? Or the oncoming dog seems aggressive? Here are some tools to keep everyone safe.

• Toss treats in the dog’s face. If the other dog isn’t coming up too quickly, and doesn’t look aggressive, throwing a handful of treats right at their face may be enough to deter them. It will startle them, and hopefully they will then drop their heads and eat the treats while you make a getaway.

• Walking cane or stick. This can be waved back and forth ahead of you, to keep the other dog back.

• Pop-up umbrella. Opening this up while it faces the other dog can startle them into stopping, and it can be waved between you and the other dog.

• SprayShield by PetSafe. This spray is strongly citronella-scented, which will deter the vast majority of oncoming dogs if sprayed in their faces (without hurting the way that mace does). Keep this in an easy to reach pocket or clipped on your pants/belt/treat pouch. You should practice pulling it out and switching off the safety during your walks, so that you’ll have good muscle memory to rely on in an emergency.

• Break stick. This is a tapered plastic or wooden stake, used to force open the jaws of a dog that has firmly clamped down and is not letting go. You must first get a strong hold of the dog that is biting down, so that they can’t regrip once you free the other dog, or redirect onto you. Insert the flat end of the break stick into the corner of the dog’s jaw, then twist as if you were revving a motorcycle. Using a break stick requires a cool head and having a strong grip on the dog and the stick, but it’s much much safer than sticking your bare hands into the situation.

• Muzzle, if your dog has bitten and caused damage before. I have known several dogs who were safely on leash with their responsible owners, had other dogs run up on them, and injured them in the resulting fight. Unfortunately if your own dog has a bite history, you have to take it upon yourself to protect other people’s dogs. Here is a page all about muzzles.

Note that you should desensitize your own dog to the waving of a walking stick, the umbrella opening and moving around, and the sound of SprayShield before you use them in a tense situation.

Extra protection for small to medium sized dogs

Consider a CoyoteVest to protect your dog’s neck and back from attack. Here is one being modeled by Frankie.

Useful training

In addition to the tools above, there are a couple things you can teach your dog to make these situations easier to navigate.

• Get behind: Your dog gets behind you and stays there, so that you can deal with the other dog.

• Come or u-turn: A strong response to “come” or “u-turn” will redirect your dog, or help him turn and run with you to quickly exit the situation.

Dogs and Babies/Kids

Here are my favorite resources on raising dogs and babies/kids together.

Graphics:

How Kids SHOULD NOT Interact with Dogs (PDF)

Teaching Respect (JPG)

Pat, Pet, Pause (PNG) (How to greet dogs)

Should Your Child Walk Your Dog Alone? (PNG)

Videos:

DOG STARS (Bite prevention video for kids!) (song on dog safety for gradeschoolers)

I Speak Doggie (song on dog safety for preschoolers)

How to kiss a dog (how to safely give “kisses”)

Demo: petting a puppy without getting bit (how to calmly pet “collar-to-tail”)

Does Your Dog REALLY Want to be Petted? (body language and consent test info)

Dog Body Language - what your dog is desperately trying to tell you! (body language info)

Stop the 77 (examples of “cute” dog and kid photos in which the dogs are showing stressed body language)

Articles

5 steps to living with babies and dogs — Cannon Dog Training

Help! My Dog Just Growled at my Kid

Baby Safety Around Dogs | Prepare the family dog for life with a baby

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Get Magnetized to Dogs - Baby Safe Dog Training (very long article but full of wisdom)

Our Lab is a Magnet for the Baby - Baby Safe Dog Training

Should Dog Lick Baby - Baby Safe Dog Training

Can Dog Like Baby TOO Much? - Baby Safe Dog Training

How Can I Socialize My Puppy With Kids? - Baby Safe Dog Training

How Can I Control OTHER Children Around My Dog? - Baby Safe Dog Training

Webinars & On-Demand Classes:

Family Paws has two webinars that can be accessed at any time: 1) Dogs & Storks: Preparing families with dogs for life with baby, 2) Dogs & Toddlers: Preparing families with dogs for life with toddler

Pooch Parenting also has several on-demand, self-paced classes.

Podcasts:

Paws & Reward Podcast: Ep 3: Kids and Dogs Living in Harmony with Kirsten Kinsella

The Bitey End of the Dog: Debby Lucken - Kids Around Dogs

Cog-Dog Radio: Sport Dogs and Kids with Michelle Stern

Pooch Parenting - all of the podcast episodes are wonderful, but I wanted to highlight these in particular:

• 31. Cori Tufano – Managing Puppies around Kids

• 84. Separation is Not the Same as Isolation when Managing Kids and Dogs

• 27. Trish McMillan – Choosing a Shelter Dog for Families

• 37. Can Kids Live in Homes with Aggressive Dogs?

• 7. Service Dogs for Families with Kids

• 77. 5 Essentials to Prepare Your Dog for New Baby